Atomic Habits is one of those rare books you come across once in a blue moon. James doesn’t waffle, he gets straight to the point and explains things clearly, in a way anyone can understand. He breaks down habits bit by bit, both the bad habits that have been silently holding us back, all the way to the best habits that we can develop using step by step instructions. He fills the pages with just enough balance between the explained science and the “average joe” that keeps things interesting for readers of any level.
This book changed my life, and it helped me fill my days with positive habits that I never dreamed possible. The following is a short summary of just a few of the many things James Clear talks about in his book. I could write an entire essay on this book, but I’ll do my best to keep it short and sweet for you!
The Plateau of Latent Potential
“Habits are a double-edged sword. They can work for you, or against you. Which is why understanding the details is essential.” James explains that habits, good or bad, are the minute actions we do everyday without thinking, but can add up to making the biggest differences in our lives and even altering our entire trajectory.
“The process of behavior change always starts with awareness. You need to be aware of your habits before you can change them”
It’s never easy being honest with ourselves about our flaws, or areas where we need to grow or change, however if we are serious about growth and changing ourselves to lead better lives, it is always essential to be honest about the “not-so-great” parts of ourselves.
“Small changes often appear to make no difference until you cross a critical threshold. The most powerful outcomes of any compounding process are delayed. You need to be patient.”
We can make these small choices easier by focusing on developing a “system” to alter our behavior as opposed to fighting ourselves to make huge overnight changes to reach a goal, usually giving up before we have seen any significant change. Expecting change to happen overnight is a recipe for disaster.
This diagram is the Plateau of Latent Potential. It explains the difference between what we think should happen when we begin a new habit, to what really happens. There is typically a lull period where we see no gains or progress, called “The Valley of Disappointment.” during which time, most people give up because they do not yet see any results. This time is most essential for persistence and consistency. We may not always see immediate or steady progress until you cross that threshold.
The 4 Laws of Behavior Change
“Any habit can be broken down into a feedback loop that involves four steps: cue, craving, response and reward. “
“The Four Laws of Behavior Change are a simple set of rules we can use to build better habits. They are: 1, make it obvious. 2, make it attractive. 3, make it easy and 4, make it satisfying.”
James goes into detail each rule, breaking it down into easy to understand steps and explanations. Say for example you want to start running, or walking each morning. To make it obvious you would put your running gear and running shoes in an obvious area, such as right by the bedroom door so you have to see the gear when you wake up. You will also be making it simultaneously easy for yourself. Rather than having to search for your shoes and getting distracted in the morning when you’re tired, it’s already there waiting for you.
To make it attractive, you simply need to think about the benefits of doing it, such as being fit self disciplined, or if you’re doing it with a friend you can make it attractive because you get to spend time with that friend. Another way to make it satisfying is by rewarding yourself afterwards, such as “after my walk I get to have my morning cup of coffee.” Your brain will then associate something you enjoy doing, with the new habit. Another term for this is “Temptation Bundling”.
“Temptation bundling is one way to make your habits more attractive. The strategy is to pair an action you want to do, with an action you need to do.”
Habit Stacking
“Habit stacking is a strategy you can use to pair a new habit with a current habit. The habit stacking formula is: After [CURRENT HABIT] I will [NEW HABIT].”
James explains how you can pair an old habit, with a new habit as a way to embrace the transition to help make your new habits more automatic by establishing strong cues and rewards. Such as when you brush your teeth, you set that up as a cue. “After I brush my teeth, I will floss.” You then make it easy by putting the floss next to your toothbrush. Then travel to a reward such as “After I have flossed my teeth I will get to look at social media for 10 minutes.” Change viewing your current social media habit as a reward for doing what you need to do.
Consistency is key
Once you have established a system to initiate a new habit, the next step is to keep it going.
“To get a habit to stick you need to feel immediately successful – even if it’s in a small way.”
“Don’t break the chain. Try to keep your habits alive!”
“Never miss twice. If you miss one day, try to get back on track as quickly as possible.”
A good way to help is installing a Habit Tracker to help keep you focused and consistent, apps like Habitify are free and easy to use for everyday habit tracking. Another really cool one is Habitica which turns your habits into a game! There are plenty of options out there, these are just a couple that you may enjoy (please note, I do not have any marketing or income affiliations with these products, I have simply listed them because they are helpful!)
Genes and Habits
James also talks about how genes do have an effect on what habits we choose to form, and that we should be mindful that if we pick something our bodies are not suited for then we may be making things more difficult for ourselves than if we chose something that goes against our natural abilities.
“Habits are easier when they align with your natural abilities. Choose the habits that best suit you.”
“Pick the right habit, and progress is easy, pick the wrong habit and life is a struggle.”
So much more!
There is so much more to this book, and James breaks it down into easy steps and includes plenty of powerful quotes and tools to help establish new habits, and even what to look out for once you have established them! If you’re interested in purchasing this incredible book you can find official links through James Clears website. Please remember I do not have any affiliations of any kind and do not make any money by you clicking the link, it’s simply to be helpful! Thank you dear reader, and I hope you find this book as helpful and inspiring as I have!
